EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Mercury Sports Editor Don Seeley wrote this story late last month, before his death on Wednesday, June 26.

BIRDSBORO — Bekah Slattery couldn’t recall exactly when her parents first preached to her the benefits of keeping her composure on the pitching mound.

But she sure listened.

Listened well, as a matter of fact.

Despite having to labor long and noticeably hard to secure a spot in Daniel Boone’s lineup, Slattery proved to be rather unflappable throwing the ball — and just as unruffled hitting it — throughout the entire season.

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This past spring, she was the Blazers’ tireless (and anything but generous) ace of the staff, as her area-high 220 strikeouts and 1.21 earned run average over 145 innings of work certainly reveal. And, as if pitching wasn’t enough of a responsibility, she swung the bat at a .519 clip at the top of the Blazers’ lineup.

So, yes, the 5-foot-4 Slattery — just a sophomore — was the especially cool, calm and collected soul who provided significant contributions to a very, very young Daniel Boone team … or enough of them to propel the Blazers to a regular-season division title, runner-up finishes in both the Berks County and District 3-Class AAAA championship games, and the program’s first win in the Class AAAA state playoffs.

Not to mention some personal recognition, as The Mercury’s 2013 Softball Player of the Year.

“(My parents) always told me to stay calm,” said Slattery, the daughter of Tom and Karen Slattery. “So I guess now it comes kind of natural to me.”

Daniel Boone head coach Traci Huddleson was on the sidelines with Slattery for two years in middle school and saw considerable potential. The two met up again this spring, when Huddleson took over the Blazers’ program.

“I got to know a little about Bekah a couple of years ago when she was in seventh and eighth grade,” Huddleson said. “She was good, but when we started this season the (pitching) position was open. Everybody had to earn a spot.”

Despite some eye-catching competition from freshman pitcher Maggie Koch, it didn’t take long for Slattery to convince Huddleson who to send out to the mound.

“From the get-go, Bekah came ready to listen, ready to learn,” Huddleson explained. “She has such a great work ethic. She’s willing to put in the time. And it just seemed whatever we needed to get done she did it.”

With just three seniors playing full-time and another two rotating at another position, Daniel Boone needed more than just pitching, defense and offense. And, as Huddleson said, Slattery provided the intangible.

“Bekah gave us leadership,” Huddleson noted. “She just has that natural leadership, on and off the field, too. She has it in the dugout, out on the field, in her classroom … she’s just the epitome of the Daniel Boone program.”

Pressure, obviously, wasn’t an issue for Slattery.

“I felt a little bit of pressure when the season started,” Slattery said. “But I really try to embrace it. I try to not let it get into my head. I try to stay level-headed.

“We all felt this was definitely going to be a reloading year for our team. We basically (graduated) everyone in the field, but we still had talent.”

Nonetheless, it was talent in need of direction. And, for the most part, Slattery provided it.

“I wasn’t surprised Bekah was willing to step up and take on whatever role we needed,” Huddleson said. “No, I wasn’t surprised at all.”

Slattery, who began playing softball at the age of 5, picked up some insight into the leadership role a year ago. She saw time in center field, but didn’t get to pitch much, mainly because former Mercury Player of the Year and Blazer ace Katie Erb owned the mound.

But playing alongside Erb sure helped.

“(Erb) was such a great pitcher for us,” Slattery explained. “She was a super all-star, a great leader. I always wanted to follow in her footsteps.

“So this season, I actually felt comfortable stepping up to be a leader. I was okay with it, really. I welcomed it if the opportunity came to me.”

That opportunity did indeed present itself to Slattery, who deflected a lot of the leadership credit to sophomore catcher Savannah Toth.

“Savannah and I have played together since we were 10 years old,” Slattery said. “She’s definitely a big help for me. She knows how I work and I know how she works. But I think all of us on the team helped pick each other up when needed, too.”

It became evident after a ho-hum 7-4 start.

From there, Slattery helped the Blazers win nine of their next 10 games, the last two victories coming over rival Wilson — avenging an earlier 4-2 loss — and Kutztown in the Berks playoffs. In the county final, they lost a 3-2 thriller to eventual AAA state champion Brandywine Heights, which had pummeled them 11-1 back in April.

The Blazers then hit the road and knocked off Chambersburg, Warwick and Hempfield. In the District 3 final, then came up short in a 6-3 encounter with eventual state runner-up Central Dauphin.

Slattery paved the way throughout the run, which was extended with the 4-1 victory over Hazleton in the first round of states. She threw a four-hitter, walked only one, struck out nine and drilled a two-run homer in the milestone win. Later in the week, though, a lopsided loss to eventual state runner-up Neshaminy ended the season.

“There’s always room for improvement,” said Slattery, who in addition to her pitching credentials led the Blazers with 24 runs scored and 41 hits — including 10 doubles, two triples and that one home run.

“My hitting needs improvement. Being a pitcher I know how important (hitting) is because you want (hitting) on your side. So pitching and hitting are of equal importance to me. I’m confident I can only get better at everything. If I do, that will make me more of a complete package.”